Robert Huth celebrates his late equaliser for Stoke against Liverpool at the Britannia Stadium. Photograph: Carl Recine/Action Images

It was a game Liverpool ought to have won but they didn't, which has become the story of a season of depressing decline. They had the lead, lost it in the 90th minute, yet would still have had the restorative result they needed had not Dirk Kuyt spurned an open goal in added time, when he headed Fábio Aurélio's cross wastefully against the far post.

The Dutchman is a blunderbuss when it comes to finishing, and not for the first time his team were left rueing not only the absence of Fernando Torres, who is expected to be hors de combat for another month, but the damaging sale of Robbie Keane and Peter Crouch, both of whom would surely have made a better fist of Kuyt's last-gasp opportunity.

For Rafael Benítez, moved on Friday to apologise for Liverpool's recent form, it was a curate's egg of an afternoon. Liverpool deserved maximum points, given that Lucas was denied one penalty – arguably two – and the embattled manager was encouraged by their endeavour and application, but he left the Potteries intensely frustrated by his charges' ­failure to kill off prosaic opponents who had failed to score in five of their ­previous seven Premier League matches. He wouldn't admit as much, but last season's runners-up would have had it wrapped up by half-time.

So Rafa in or Rafa out? The jury will convene again at Anfield on Wednesday night, when Tottenham are the visitors. Crisis is one of the most over-used words in football's limited vocabulary, but with Grand Canyon-like divisions in the boardroom, financial meltdown making a nonsense of all the talk of a new stadium and the team no better than mediocre, Liverpool are flirting with it. Benítez has enjoyed all the backing a manager who won the club's fifth European Cup deserves, but that was five years ago, and scouse patience has worn gossamer thin.

Getting outplayed and eliminated from the FA Cup by Reading, from the Championship's relegation zone, was not the last straw, but for the fans, at least, it might have been the penultimate one. By way of follow up, Stoke away was a horrible fixture. Liverpool were always going to up their work-rate – the traditional resort for a struggling team – but they were not going to outrun or outfight the sleeves-rolled bunch of scrappers Tony Pulis has assembled in his own artisan image.

At such a time, Benítez needed all the resources he could muster, but luck, as well as results, have turned against him, and he was without Torres, Steven Gerrard and Yossi Benayoun, his three leading ­scorers, all injured. He deserved sympathy there, but it was a contentious decision to rest Alberto Aquilani, his £20m man, and turn instead to Philipp Degen, a free transfer signing in July 2008, who had previously made only one start in the Premier League, at Fulham, where he was sent off. The Swiss international's form since arriving from Dortmund has been so disappointing that he has been available for 12 months, with no takers.

Liverpool fans will also have been apprehensive about the inclusion of Sotirios Kyrgiakos, drafted in at centre-back in place of Daniel Agger, who has a groin strain. The Greek defender has been another dodgy signing, but he was spared the full panoply of Stoke's aerial repertoire when Rory Delap, of the howitzer throw, withdrew midway through the first half with a calf complaint, and Kyrgiakos emerged with his reputation enhanced by the opening goal. That came in the 57th minute, after a tedious first half, notable only for the penalty refused when Danny Higginbotham brought down Lucas, well inside the area. The referee, Lee Mason, compounded his mistake by booking the Brazilian for diving.

Stoke had made the better start, but were undermined by Delap's departure, after which Liverpool asserted themselves to take the lead when Thomas Sorensen spilled Aurélio's left-footed free-kick from the right. The Greeks accept, as well as bear gifts, and the hirsute defender bundled the loose ball home from three yards.

Stoke, whose leading scorer in the league is James Beattie, with three, are ill-equipped to chase down deficits, but they applied themselves with muscular diligence and regained equality with under a minute of normal time remaining when Matthew Etherington's corner from the right was met at the far post by Higginbotham, who nodded the ball back whence it came. Salif Diao's nudge took it on to Robert Huth, who scored from feet away at the other upright.

The home crowd were still belabouring Benítez with choruses of "You're getting sacked in the morning" when Kuyt blew the chance to win it. Aurélio's cross was an invitation to do so, but the Dutchman, who was signed as a striker, has been turned into a wide midfielder because of the profligacy of which his ill-directed header was cringingly typical. All need not have been lost (or rather drawn). Higginbotham had pushed Lucas, who went into a swallow dive at the near post – the theatrics probably persuading Mr Mason that his penalty claims were invalid.

Needless to say, Benítez did not agree. "We should have had two penalties," he said. "Both were clear cut. It was great to get one point, but we should have had three. We had key players out today, and it was important that those who were involved showed character, which they did. I'm very pleased with their performance in a tough game against a good, physical team. Their response [after Reading] was fantastic. The most positive thing for me is that the players tried [don't they always, Rafa?] from beginning to end. Everything is fine."

Time will tell, starting on Wednesday.

THE FANS' PLAYER RATINGS AND VERDICT

Robert Stanway Sr, Observer reader I was expecting to lose because of the media attention on Liverpool. We didn't play very well, particularly in the first half where we just hit high balls over the top. We had two early injuries, limiting the changes we could make, but the introduction of Fuller brought a new dimension. I think it's the worst Liverpool team I've ever seen – they've got some nice ­footballers but they didn't play the way you expect Liverpool to play. Both defences were on top: they didn't have too many chances and neither did we. A draw was a fair result.

John Hinchliffe, Observer reader It's been a painful week as a Liverpool ­supporter but we'll support them through wind and rain. It was hard to see where the creative spark would come from. The team was selected to defend with two full-backs in the wide ­positions. Stoke put us under pressure with a lot of high balls and corners, particularly in the second half. But they didn't have too many chances – while we had the penalty shout and Kuyt hitting the woodwork at the end. ­Shawcross is a good defender but Ngog needs to learn to stand up for himself a bit more.